An Evening with Fred Astaire
| An Evening with Fred Astaire | |
|---|---|
| Starring |
Fred Astaire Barrie Chase |
| Narrated by | Art Gilmore |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Fred Astaire |
| Producer(s) | Bud Yorkin |
| Location(s) | Color City, Burbank, California |
| Camera setup | Multiple |
| Running time | 58 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Picture format | NTSC color |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | October 17, 1958 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by |
Another Evening with Fred Astaire (November 4, 1959) |
Another Evening with Fred Astaire (November 4, 1959)
Astaire Time (September 28, 1960)
An Evening with Fred Astaire is a one-hour live television special starring Fred Astaire, broadcast on NBC on October 17, 1958. It was highly successful, winning nine Emmy awards and spawning three further specials, and technically innovative, as it was the first major television show to be recorded on color videotape. It was produced at NBC's Color City studios in Burbank, California.
Considered something of a for the then 59-year-old Astaire, the special was his first starring role on television. It was directed and co-produced by Bud Yorkin and introduced Astaire's new partner Barrie Chase, whom he would later describe in Interview magazine in 1973 as perhaps his favorite dance partner. The Jonah Jones Quartet and David Rose and his Orchestra provided the music, and the Hermes Pan Dancers appeared in the ensemble dance numbers. The announcer was Art Gilmore, who at the time was the voice of the Chrysler Corporation, the show's sponsor. Typical for advertising of the era, Chrysler's 1959 model year Forward Look cars featured prominently in the show; Astaire's final words were "I only hope the show is as good as the cars."
The program was highly innovative in its use of color videotape, a technology then in its infancy. Edward Stephenson designed the production, receiving Art Director credit. (note Production Design as a television art department credit did not become vogue until the late 1970s). Ed Stephenson was awarded an art direction Emmy for his work on the TV special.
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Wikipedia